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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · bark · wind · mine · deal · row · rush · track

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. track — a song
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wind — moving air
  5. row — a line
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wind — moving air
  11. firm — steady
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. firm — decided
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bark — to shout
  21. firm — a company
  22. deal — to handle
  23. track — a path
  24. rush — hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com